A 9-year-old boy in St. Paul, Minnesota, is being recognized for being beyond his years after making a thoughtful contribution.

Ethan Flint, a fourth grader, asked his friends and family to forgo buying him birthday presents this year. Instead, he wanted money to help provide bulletproof vests to the St. Paul Police K9 Foundation.

Ethan’s mother, Jennifer Flint, told ABC affiliate KSTP-TV they wanted “to do something that he was interested in and give to a cause that he believed in.”

Ethan presented the K9 Foundation with a homemade check for $1,290, according to KSTP.